After enduring other attempts to attack her for two weeks, Kai Trump was finally able to put the ball on the tee and walk away on an LPGA Tour event.
President Trump's eldest granddaughter shot a 13-over-par 83 in Thursday's first round. Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Bellaire, Florida. High School and University Graduate Miami commits bogeyed the first five holes before registering par for a total of 42 on her front nine and 41 on the back.
Critics, including her nearly nine million social media followers, have tirelessly pointed out the 18-year-old's obvious privilege receiving a sponsor's invitation. Dan Doyle Jr., owner of Pelican Golf Club, happily conceded that Trump's inclusion had little to do with ability and everything to do with public relations.
“The idea of the release, when you go into the history of the exceptions, is to draw attention to the event,” Doyle told reporters this week. “You should see her in person, she’s a pleasure to talk to.
“And it brought in a lot of viewers through Instagram and things like that that don't typically watch women's golf. That was the hope. And we're seeing that now.”
Trump attends Benjamin School in Palm Beach and is ranked No. 461 in the American Junior Golf Association rankings. She also plays on the Srixon Medalists Tour of the South Florida PGA Tour. Her best result in July was third.
Ahead of Annika, Trump received a boost from a conversation with Tiger Woods, who is dating her mom, Vanessa Trump. More privileges, of course, but what did he tell her?
“I mean, he's the best golfer in the whole world. I would say so. And an even better person,” Kai Trump told reporters. “He told me to go out there, have fun and just go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens.”
What happened was far from perfect. With Allan Kournikov—tennis star Anna Kournikova's younger brother and lifelong friend—as her caddie, Trump cruised through the first four holes before registering her first par.
She will play again on Friday and has the best chance of advancing to the final two rounds at the weekend after finishing the first round in 108th and last place.
It's been a busy week for Trump. On Monday, she played nine holes of the pro round with tournament host Annika Sorenstam, who sympathized with the difficulty of navigating the intense whirlpool of criticism and support.
“Honestly, I just don’t know how she does it,” Sorenstam said. “For her to be 18 and hear all the comments, she must be very tough inside. I'm sure we can all imagine what it's like to get criticism here and there, but she gets it a thousand times over.”
Sorenstam recalled her own tax exemption for Bank of America Colonial in 2003, when she became first woman to play in a men's PGA Tour event. at 58 years old. She made a 14-foot putt on the 18th green to save par and complete her round of 74, leaving her with just five over 145 through 36 holes. She slammed her golf ball into the stands, wiped away tears and was hugged by her husband, David Ashe.
“It was perhaps a somewhat controversial invitation at the time,” Sorenstam said. “At the end of the day, I certainly appreciated it. It just brings attention to the tournament and the sport and women's sports, which is what I think we want.”
On Wednesday, attention temporarily shifted from Trump to the WNBA star. Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever teammate Sophie Cummingham at the Annika pro-am. Clark paired with reigning tournament champion Nelly Korda went viral thanks to long kick from greenery.
“I actually grew up playing a little bit. I remember getting this cute little set of pink golf clubs for one of my birthdays,” Clark said. “Then I kind of stopped playing and then during COVID I started playing again.”
Cunningham's moment was less grand. After Clark hit her tee shot down the middle of the fairway on the 10th hole, Cunningham slammed her putt into the crowd. She shouted “Happy Gilmore”, causing laughter in the gallery.
Trump, for his part, waved the basket from behind the free throw line in the open area near the first tee while waiting for the game to begin.
Sponsorship invitations have long been used to draw attention to a tournament through a golfer who comes from a prominent family or, in recent years, has an active social media presence. Trump meets the criteria on both counts.
Her nine million followers combined Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube And X They include teenagers, golfers and members of her grandfather's administration such as Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
In addition to posting about what she does on and off the course, Trump films videos of herself playing golf with her grandfather and booked your visit to the Ryder Cup. She also recently launched her own activewear and lifestyle brand. CT.
“Kai’s wide audience and influence are helping to introduce golf to new audiences, especially younger fans,” said Ricky Lasky, director of tourism business and operations for the LPGA.
Beth Ann Nichols, Golf Week's lead columnist, has gone from believing Trump's sponsorship of Annika to be a “terrible idea” to being a supporter. She wrote that her first reaction was that “her acting is not ready for this kind of attention; “In the penultimate tournament of the season, too much is at stake for a circus to break out.”
But as the week passed, she changed her mind, believing the president's granddaughter was good for women's golf.
“With Caitlin Clark on the pro roster and the granddaughter of President Donald Trump in the 108-player field, this could be one of the most talked-about LPGA events in the tour's 75-year history,” Nichols wrote. “For those who understand how difficult it is for women’s golf to break into the world of golf, let alone the world of sports and beyond, opportunities like this don’t come along often.”
Trump will need to up his game to become more than a novelty. She finished last among 24 players with a 52-over-par score in the tournament. Children's invitation in Sage Valley in March. Her performance on Thursday showed that while she is strong off the tee, her short game needs to be developed.
“I don't think anyone here thinks she'll be the one holding the trophy on Sunday,” Sorenstam said. “I talked to her a little bit yesterday. You know, just make the most of this week. There will be lessons learned. Take them into the future and learn.”
The oldest of the presidents 11 grandchildrenKaye rose to national prominence when she gave a speech in support of her grandfather's 2024 election campaign. Republican National Convention. Her parents, Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump, divorced in 2018, and her mother was dating Woods about a year.
